Teeter-totter



Dec; 30; 1947.

Filed Feb. 15, 1946 Q\ m\ f 3 N Ttl 3 n f w MM m .Q 3 w mm w 3 wm w kw s.

INVENTOP PAUL BUCZKOWSK/ A TTOR/VE Y Patented Dec. 30, 1947 PMITENT OFFIC E 3,433,735 .YTEE'JEER-TOTTER en Bu kew tb l l c Application Bebe 112mm, 194 semina mes Claims (01, 2-12-r-54) 11 ljhis -invention"relates to teeter-totters andsin particular to teeter-totters ofz-a collapsible .type,

The primaryobj ect of the invention is to'provide an improved teeter-totter vcharacterized.by

itssim'plicitm which is economical to .manufac- Fig. 1 is a side eievational; viewwoflalteetere.

totterembodying the invention with portions thereof brokenaway'to illustrate the construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the .teeter-totterdisclosed in Fig. l. I r Fig. 3 is a fragmentary explodedview' showing how theteeter-cotteris readily, collapsed-when not in use.

. Fig. 4 is an;el evational.view. takenon-the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing thebasemember further collapsed for convenient storage.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional viewztaken ;on the line 5-5of Fig; 3 showing an zend viewrof thecentral bridge member.

5 Referring now to the drawingrwherein like nu-; merals refer to like-and correspondingsparts throughout theseveral .views, the. .teeter-t'otter disclosed for the purpose of' illustrating theiinvention comprises a base .I including a, fulcrum member a-rockingbeam generally designated by the numeral including a bridge assembly.:|3 and a pair-of-beam :members l4 joined together hereniafter described, Each beam members is composedof a maineelement 3| andauxiliary element 32 hereinafter more fully; described in detail.- A- seat I is positioned at theouter .end of each main element 3| and a handle barl6zis secured on thejouter end of the auxiliary element 32. As hereinafter :more-fully described in detail, the said auxiliary element 32 of each beam? thebridge assemblyz=43 was L to' provide a rocking 6 5 .2 beam 12 of: great strength-and rigidity,e:.a1l.accompli'shed while .z employing the minim um.;.of means .for securing :the' .teeteretotter in assembled. relati'onshipfrom its collapsed stateiready for storage, shipment orv transport in automobile.

The base-Ill is composed of a fulcrum-member having asleeve l8 Welded. on each end thereof disposed .normal with respect .lthereto. Througheach ofthesa'id sleeves 1|8 an inverted U-shaped fulcrum-supporting member [91 15- 13616- scoped with the horizontal portion thereofain turnable: relationship with-respect. to 1 the; said sleeve 18. A .bolt 20 disposed -verticallythrough each: sleeve I8 and fulcrum supportingmember l9 fixes the said "fulcrum and fulcrum supporting members in the desired-assembled relationship. as indicated'in Figs,- 1, .2 and 3. -By removing the bolts 20 and turning the fulcrum supporting members :|9.in the sleeves |8 as indicated vby-the dotted lines 2| and. 22 inFig. 4 from the position indicated. by the dot and dashlines to the position indicated by the full lines therein, thesaidabase Ill may be collapsed to the compact folded position as indicated'in full lines in Fig; 4. r The lower ends of the said invertedU-shaped fulcrum supporting members H! are each provided with a flange 23 and apreferably resilient rubber foot 24. The fianges23 is employed to prevent the base l0 from sinking into soft ground when the teeter-totter'is used out-of-doors and the resilient rubber foot prevents damage to-finished floors when the teeter-totter is used indoors.

The bridge assembly I3 is composed of a-pair of spaced abutments 25 preferably." formed jto provide a plurality of unequally spaced'arches 25 concaved to rest 'ronfthe' fulcrum memberiril as shown-:in Figs. 1 and 2. The said abutments 25 are held in the desired spaced relationship :by bridge beams 21 preferably welded .tothe .top of the outer. arches 26 of the abutments. 25. iBy spacing the outer-pair of arches26 'oneachside of the center pair of arches :25 at different? distances therefrom, the'balance of the rocking beam |2 may be altered byshifting thersame so that either one or the other of the outer pair of arches 26 rests on the fulcrum member ll. Thus the teeter-totter becomes usable by .children of unequal weights. A compression splice sleeve 28 is supported on and is welded to the top of theibridgebeams .21 midway. between and parallel to the spaced abutments 25 of thefbr'idge assembly I3, see Figs. 2 and 5. A tension splice rod29' is supported inspaced relationship directlya-above and parallel to A the said compression splice sleeve 28 on a pair of diagonally disposed struts 30 welded at their upper end to the longitudinal center of the said tension splice rod 29 and at their lower end to the longitudinal center of the top of the center arch 26 of the bridge assembly l3, see Figs. 2 and 5. The construction of the beam members M of the rocking beam i2 is so arranged as hereinafter described to avoid any stress from the splice thereof to be taken by or transferred to the struts 30. The struts 30 merely maintain the rocking beam l2 in its vertical position after the beam members M are assembled in spliced relationship on the bridge assembly i3 to form the said rocking beam l2.

Each beam member l4 comprises a lower preferably tubular main element 3| and an upper preferably tubular auxiliary element 32 disposed parallel to and in vertical spaced relationship above the main element 3| at the inner end thereof and separated therefrom near the inner end thereof by a vertically disposed strut 3-3 welded to the top of the main element 3! and the bottom of the auxiliary element 32. The said auxiliary element 32 is bent downwardly from its inner end as indicated in Fig. 1 to converge with the main element 3i at approximately the outer third point thereof and then upwardly and outwardly to form a support for the transversely disposed handle bar IG welded to the outer end of the said auxiliary element 32. The said auxiliary element 32 is securely welded to the top of the main element 3| at the point of convergence therewith. A saddle type seat I5 preferably formed from metal is welded onto the top and outer end of the main element 3| by welds 34 and 35. Hand grips 3B are preferably telescoped over the ends of the handle bar it.

The upper element '32 of each beam member [4 is provided with a vertical aperture therethrough near the inner end thereof to register with vertical apertures provided through the tension splice rod 29 near its supporting struts 30 to accommodate bolts 37 which are employed to accomplish a tension splice between the auxiliary elements 32 of oppositely disposed beam members l4 through. the tension splice rod 29 of the bridge assembly l3 after the said beam members are assembled in telescopic relationship with respect to the said bridge assembly l3 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be noted that when so assembled, the main elements 3i of the beam members M are telescoped into abutting relationship with respect to each other within the compression splice sleeve 28 of the bridge assembly I3 to accomplish a compression splice as indicated by the dotted line 38 in Fig. 1 while the auxiliary elements 32 of the beam members [4 are telescoped over and anchored to the tension splice rod 29 of the said bridge assembly 53 by the bolts 3? as hereinbefore described. This construction not only permits the disassembly of the rocking beams i2 into three convenient parts but provides a very light yet extremely strong teeter-totter rocking beam easy to erect and economical to manufacture,

Although but one embodiment of the inven tion has been disclosed and described in detail, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the various elements thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a teeter-totter comprising a base including a fulcrum member and a rocking member,

said rocking member consisting of a bridge assembly and a pair of oppositely extending beam members,- the said bridge assembly including abutments disposed in parallel lateral spaced relationship one on each side of said beam members, bridge beams spanning between said abutments, each of the said beam members comprising upper and lower portions means for supporting and compression splicing said lower portion of the said beam members carried by said bridge beams, means for tension splicing said upper portion of the said beam members, and struts for maintaining said beam members in a vertical position extending upwardly and inwardly from the said abutments carrying the said means for tension splicing said upper portions of the said beam members;

ments disposed in parallel lateral spaced relationship one on each side of said base members, bridge beams spanning between said abutments, each of the said beam members comprising upper and lower portions means for supporting and compression splicing said lower portions of the said beam members carried by said bridge beams, means for tension splicing said upper portions of the said beam members, and struts for maintaining said beam members in a vertical position extending upwardly and inwardly from thesaid abutments carrying said means for tension splicing said upper portions of the beam members, each of said abutments being formed into a plurality of unevenly spaced opposite arches adapted to ride said fulcrum member in pairs whereby to accommodate the teeter-totter to use by children of unequal weight.

3. In a teeter-totter comprising a base including a fulcrum member and a rocking member, said rocking member comprising a bridge assembly including laterally spaced abutments adapted to rock on said fulcrum carrying a compression splice sleeve, a tension splice member disposed in spaced relationship above said compression splice sleeve, and diagonally disposed struts extending upwardly and inwardly from said lateraly spaced abutments supporting the said tension splice member, and a pair of oppositely-extending beam members each composed of a lower main element, an upper auxiliary element and a verticaly disposed strut member spacing said main and auxiliary elements fixed to both the main and auxiliary elements from which vertically disposed strut member the said auxiliary element extends outwardly downward to the said main element where it is fixed thereto and from whence the said auxiliary element is extended further outwardly and upwardly, a handle bar transversely disposed on the outer upwardly extended end of the auxiliary element, the inner ends of the said main and auxiliary elements of each beam member being telescoped into and over opposite ends of the said compression splice sleeve and tension splice member of the bridge assembly respectively with the opposite ends of the said main elements in abutment, and means for securing said auxiliary elements in said telescopic relationship to said tension splice member.

4. In a teeter-totter comprising a base including a fulcrum member and a pair of inverted U-shaped fulcrum supporting members, and a rocking beam adapted to seesaw with respect to said fulcrum, the said fulcrum member having a sleeve disposed horizontally normal thereto fixed on each end thereof through which the horizontal portion of an inverted U-shaped supporting member is telescoped in turnable relationship thereto whereby to permit the said U-shaped member to be rotated from an inverted U-position supporting said fulcrum member to a substantially horizontal position for storage, and means disposed through each sleeve and inverted U-shaped member for securing the said U-shaped supporting member in its inverted U -position with respect to the said fulcrum member, the said rocking member consisting of a bridge assembly and a pair of oppositely extending beam members, the said bridge assembly including abutments disposed in parallel lateral spaced relationship one on each side of said beam members, bridge beams spanning between said abutments, each of the said beam members comprising an upper and lower portion, means for supporting and compression splicing said lower portion of the said beam members carried by said bridge beams, means for tension splicing said upper portion of the said beam members, and struts for maintaining said beam members in a vertical position extending upwardly and inwardly from the said abutments carrying the said upper portion of the means for tension splicing said beam members.

PAUL BUCZKOWSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

